Super Rugby 2023

First topic message reminder :

Same Teams as last season, the five Aussie and Five Kiwi clubs plus the Moana Pasifika and Fujian Drua. Starts Friday, 24 February, 2023.

Brumbies hold on after a 6 minute barrage on their line by the Hurricanes! Some incredibly lenient referees from Nick Berry in that period (Brumbies should have had a yellow) but the Brumbies were deserving of the win.

It is definitely good for the competition to have an Aussie team in the last 4.

In sure the kiwis will be making comment about an all Australian refereeing and TMO team though! Looking at the replays I think they called it right with the final TMO decision. It certainly wasn't conclusive at all.

Full raging intensity of a knock out game - great stuff.

Was a real exciting match though I didn't have any expectations after yesterday's Blues-Tahs match.  Nothing better than a match decided after the hooter and after the Hurricanes were pounding the Brumbies line.  I didn't have a problem with the officiating.  Thought it was handled pretty evenly.  

If you want to see questionable officiating, take a look at yesterday's Top 14 Semi between Toulouse and Racing Metro.  Even the commentators were bemused.  As an aside, I don't think I have ever typed the word 'bemused' so this is a first...

Chiefs v Reds was a great game too with the Reds coming pretty close to a major upset.

It was a Reds performs that came out of nowhere, again showing the value of having a knockout format at the end of season. Even if it's a bit silly that 8 of 12 teams make it!

RDW wrote:Chiefs v Reds was a great game too with the Reds coming pretty close to a major upset.

It was a Reds performs that came out of nowhere, again showing the value of having a knockout format at the end of season. Even if it's a bit silly that 8 of 12 teams make it!

The commentators in the Brumbies match had described the Chiefs-Reds match as being a great game as well. I think Super Rugby needs tight and well played games like these to get out of their current funk. Will probably watch a replay tomorrow when I have some time.

Intotouch wrote:“When you take away an enemy you need someone else to be the enemy”,
That’s really grim Brendan. It is possible for different organisations to work well together.

What did you mean about Ireland and Wales in the Celtic league! Were our unions always fighting? I missed that entirely.

SRP is still fairly new. Maybe it will grow in popularity.

To be fair to the Celtic league they had the Scots who sometimes sided with one and then the other. If it had just been the Welsh and Irish the unions would have blamed each other for failures.

There was plenty talk when Welsh refs dud all games in Wales and Irish refs did all games in Ireland. That us SRP now as nearly every round a ref us from one of the countries.

SRP is a bit grim as neither RA or NZR want to be seen to be giving into each other off the field. RA hit NZR up for $7m or they were going to talk away. NZR has questioned the RA intentions and domestic work in public. Both blaming each other for not having the independent board in place that may not be as independent as they would like.

RDW wrote:Japan are the obvious choice to add teams but keep with with Pacific brand. Japan will bring much needed finance and market size to the competition.

I was surprised to see it is actually still quite a lengthy flight to Japan from Aus (10 hours ish) even though they're fairly well aligned in time zones. When you have to fly over the equator it ends up a long flight!

Japan wants a Pacfic Champions Cup type competition to fill in between the Summer and Nov tests but NZ don't want to effect the NPC. Force did games there last year and JRU & NZR agreeded games. Problem is for RA and NZR want to expand SR rather than create a second comp, while the Japanese companies want league 1 and then a crossover.
Afterall it was the companies that refused to support the sunwolves and had their league move to be on the same time as SR so it could be a competitor. And SR don't want to recognise the two leagues as equal

doctor_grey wrote:

RDW wrote:Chiefs v Reds was a great game too with the Reds coming pretty close to a major upset.

It was a Reds performs that came out of nowhere, again showing the value of having a knockout format at the end of season. Even if it's a bit silly that 8 of 12 teams make it!

The commentators in the Brumbies match had described the Chiefs-Reds match as being a great game as well.  I think Super Rugby needs tight and well played games like these to get out of their current funk.  Will probably watch a replay tomorrow when I have some time.

The 8 team playoff makes it a bit of a joke as you need to do much to make it. But the Reds held up well so it's not like 8th was poor in the playoffs

I think alot of NZ and Oz fans are just turned off SR and it needs a rebrand. We still hear the Oz teams are rubbish but I think only the Blues and Saders are really a cut above. Dura have brought great excitement to the competition and have a buzz about them.

But until it stops being training for the test players it's in trouble. Any media there spends more time talking about the test team that the actual games. I know we do a bit of it in the URC but they take it to another level.

Blues really can’t buy a win vs Crusaders… Be interesting to see if Chiefs win the final. That would be quite some turnaround under McMillan.

Blues result was certainly unexpected - they got completely humped. Crusaders really are a different breed when the result  matters - I reckon they're favourites now.

Valiant effort from the Brumbies who ran out of steam against one of the form club teams in world rugby. Eddie should pick a Brumbies heavy Wallabies team if they're going to stand a chance!

I've booked a weekend away in Melbourne to watch the ABs v Wallabies at the 100,000 seater MCG - should be epic. It's looking close to a sellout too.

Wow thats a great match to go to, was going to go to the ABs v Argentina game but couldn’t swing it.

Did anyone actually watch the Super Rugby final? I would have if awake (k/o was at 3:00am my time), but really had little interest, and that's a shame. I saw the Crusaders won again....

I saw a bit. Seemed to be a match that seesawed. The bit I saw had Chiefs on top really putting pressure on the Crusaders and fighting for the win. A good spot from the TMO pulled Damian McKenzie back for an offside at the lineout otherwise they'd have been in front.

The All Blacks certainly have some great options at 10 and 15 from both these sides going into the world cup. Stevenson and McKenzie looked absolute livewires.

Was an epic final. Great rugby, result close to the end and big atmosphere in the stadium.

It's a remarkable dynasty from the Crusaders with 7 in a row (noting the Covid years with a reduced competition ) - must be the greatest in professional club rugby history around the world?

I watched it, thought the ref gave the Crusaders the rub of the green. Chiefs probably a bot unlucky.

I've only seen the ALB yellow, which I was very surprised wasn't a red.

RiscaGame wrote:I've only seen the ALB yellow, which I was very surprised wasn't a red.

Same - you've seen reds for that before.

Even more surprising that the new rules means the TMO can take their time! The ref gives a yellow then flags it for off field review, during which time it may get upgraded to a red.

RDW wrote:

RiscaGame wrote:I've only seen the ALB yellow, which I was very surprised wasn't a red.

Same - you've seen reds for that before.

Even more surprising that the new rules means the TMO can take their time! The ref gives a yellow then flags it for off field review, during which time it may get upgraded to a red.

I like this new rule and i hope it gets implemented across the whole pro game - means refs arent under pressure to make a quick decision for something that could end the game potentially and it might also give the TMO time to get ALL the angles from the tv crew...not naming names French tv...